10One of the Swiss national pastimes is rock climbing, and it is through this activity that a number of dinosaurtracksites have been found. In fact most of the dinosaur tracksites found in Switzerland were foundas a result of combining professional geology with rock climbing. The second largest dinosaur tracksitein Switzerland, in terms of surface area and number of footprints, was found in the Moutier canyon in theJura mountains. This site was discovered in 1996 by prospecting a large surface (Moutier II) ; the previousyear on a small surface nearby sauropod tracks had been detected (Moutier I). The site is a well knownarea for rockclimbers, and has been seen by many people, but evidently by none that were looking fordinosaur tracks. It can be best described as a stomping ground were there is evidence of various degreesof trampling or dinoturbation. The results of a two week survey in 1997 was the recognition of about2000 footprints distributed more or less randomly across a steeply inclined surface of about 6000 m 2 .Only a few tracks are sufficiently clear and only a few allowed us to distinguish large pes tracks and manustracks. It is difficult to say much about the number of sauropod trackmakers that were in the area, thetype (wide- or narrow-gauge), size, though some were large (footprint length 1 m, Fig.14 & 15), or directionof travel of these sauropods. Work is still in progress, in an attempt to explain why some tracks arevery deep (40 cm) and others so shallow as to be barely perceptible. The main tracksite occurs on a densemudstone that shows birdseyes and is overlain by algal laminites, further upsection two more levels withsauropod footprints can be seen, but due to the small outcrop area, no additional information can begiven. Stratigraphically, the site has to be placed in the lower part of the Reuchenette Formation and hasbeen formed in an inter- to supratidal environment. Just about 300 m in a southwesterly direction fromthe tracksite, coeval strata have yielded the skeletal remains of Cetiosauriscus (Fig. 11).Close by in the southern part of the Moutier anticline, two small sites with sauropod footprints have beenfound that occur on the same level (Moutier III, IV), further east close to the village Corcelles two addtionalsurfaces with moderately preserved footprints of sauropods have been discovered by Phillipe Saunierin 1996. In 1998 Bernhard Hostettler, a local amateur, discovered a surface with sauropod footprints alonga new roadcut in the vicinty of Glovelier. Later on George Alain Beuchat, teacher from Glovelier discovereda surface with a theropod trackway in the vicinity (Fig. 13).Fig. 12: Trackway of a narrow gauge sauropodform the Combe Ronde site near Courtedoux(Lower Reuchenette Formation, Late EarlyKimmerdigian).Fig. 13: Trackway of a medium sized theropodfrom Glovelier (Lower Reuchenette Formation).
11Fig. 16: Geographic extent of the megatracksite in the Lower Reuchenette Formation with principal trackand bone localities.Fig. 14: Aerial view of the Moutier (Moutier II)dinosaur tracksite (Reuchenette Formation, LateEarly Kimmerdigian).Fig. 15: Close up view of a right pes print of asauropod dinosaur (footprint length 1 m) from theMoutier II tracksite.
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